The first time I learnt about Fractals was when I was in college. I learnt about it as a mathematical concept. The second time I came across it was as a social movement in Africa, of sustaining teams creating processes and copy pasting their structure to form well linked groups, that helped to form a powerful movement. I got truly inspired and started researching more about Fractals.
Fractals, I learnt exist all around us. Every simple pattern in nature is repeated, with different scales at times, to form never-ending complex patterns.
From then on, one of my favourite hobbies is to discern the fractal in parts, of every being or object in Nature.
Branches, leaves, striations on surfaces, patterns on skins, fruits, vegetables, wings of insects, coastal lines, in the meanderings of rivers…they leap out of their base at me showing me how they evolved and grew complex.
To translate this to real life like the Africans did was an amazing concept to witness.
I was taken in by this concept as I found that the maximum effort was mostly required only in the initial stages when the blueprint of a basic simple pattern was created. Once this got perfected it just required project management and monitoring to guide the process of ” Fractalising.”
I had the honour of being in the team sent by the Indian government to Sri Lanka, along with Architect Kirti Shah. We were to recommend to the Indian government the manner in which it could offer money to help refugees rebuild their homes. Driving down from Colombo to Jaffna will be an experience that I shall never forget. Getting whisked by young men as young as my son at every toll post that was heavily guarded; surveying home after home that had bullet ridden walls; questioning refugees in military camps who had to stand all the time as there was just no place to even squat…I will never forget those experiences. Above them all what truly touched me was the fact that at every stop at every village, we had a group of persons from the local NGOs visit us. They had similar information to give us and questions to ask of us to enable better formulations of our observations. When I took one of the persons aside and asked him how the pattern of their performance was so similar in nature, he replied, “We follow the Fractal Methodology that you find amongst African social movements. We designed one holistic process for one NGO and replicated it according to various scales to ensure our goals are reached. I was truly impressed! Without these NGOs we would not have been able to conduct our survey effectively. The Indian Government took our recommendations to the T and offered financial assistance to rebuild homes for refugees of Sri Lanka. And I came back home and did a lot of research on fractals in nature, methodologies and societies and in no time The Fractal Model was born.
I was but an ordinary citizen with no mafia or powerhouse supporting me. I could however see that I was surrounded by many like me and more than people like me, there were folks with lesser advantages in life than what I had. I recalled that as a fourth grader, I had been asked by my class teacher to stay by the side of two classmates of mine. These children had failed the previous year. I was told never to leave their sides and to ensure that they studied. They were thought to be bullies by the rest of us. But the teacher, Mrs. Mason was known to be free and generous in using a wooden ruler on those who erred. I chose to stick by the girls. Many things happened but the most important thing that stuck with me was the fact that they passed that year!
I recollected this incident, looked at it as a possible unit design of fractals in communities and formed the fractal model for social entrepreneurship.
By this model, visionary entrepreneurs who were literate took on as co-entrepreneurs from more disadvantaged backgrounds and enabled them to do only what experts could do. This resulted in a sustainable and innovative social venture bringing prosperity, and equity to all. Once such units get created they get replicated as franchises across the country, making self-similar units of business homes offering sustainable products or services to customers.
On ground this has helped over and above 100 families get out of poverty.
I truly believe that the Fractal Model would have multiple benefits! It would flatten the economy; alleviate poverty, take literacy to its rightful heights; remove unemployability; bring in wealth without the destruction of the planet and a lot more!
It has the capacity of creating a hockey stick growth amongst the social ventures. It truly mimics Nature in its evolution processes.
What do you think? Would this Fractal Model do all the magical things I feel it might? It would be wonderful to know! Do write to me at radha@fractalentrepreneurship.org. Be blessed.